Pilot Training

The National Research Council Canada (NRC) provides specialized training for test pilot schools at its flight research lab in Ottawa. The two-week sessions train pilots on advanced handling qualities. The pilots go to the lab already skilled, but they leave the lab with the ability to evaluate helicopter performance. Some test pilot trainees, typically from the military, take a yearlong course that combines aeronautical engineering with flight testing experience. The course covers airborne systems, measuring aircraft performance and handling qualities. One crucial skill that test pilots must learn is how to control an experimental aircraft that has not been certified for flight. A typical NRC course includes 8-12 students. NRC has trained hundreds of test pilots during the past ten years. For related news